Sunday, July 27, 2008

Scarin' the Straights, Pt. II

I continue to think about defending one's rights as recognized in the Second Amendment and, as the Indiana State Constitution says:

The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the State.

Sebastian has taken a moderate tone in his exploration of "How Far is Too Far?" over at Snowflakes in Hell. He says among other things, "I think gun owners can get a lot of mileage out of moving to states that repsect [sic] their rights." Somehow I flash on the image of a group of Jews, their wordly goods in carts and on their backs, abandoning their shtetl to get away from the deprivations of the Cossacks.

For me gun ownership and the possession of a license to carry a handgun is a political statement that epitomizes my view that I am ultimately responsible for my own and my family's protection and well-being and that the government is not my close and bosom friend looking out for my good, much less my mother whose teat I can suck whenever I'm hungry. A well-armed public is a free public and wherever an organization or the government says you cannot arm yourself per your constitutionally recognized rights you are not free. And here's the crux of the argument of how far is too far:

Would some gun owners, who hold dearly their right to use a firearm to defend themselves and their family against a thug wearing a ski mask who has kicked down their door and intent on harming them, give away that right and lay down their arms if that thug who has kicked down their door and is intent on harming them was wearing a uniform?